Key developments on April 15: * Ukrainian deep strikes hit over 70 Russian industrial targets, including oil and gas sites, in March, Syrskyi says * UK pledges to send record number of drones to Ukraine by end of 2026 * 'It couldn't be any worse' — Zelensky sounds alarm on Patriot air defense missile shortage * Russia warns Europe over drone support for Ukraine, calls it escalation Ukrainian forces struck 76 Russian industrial targets in March using long-range weapons, Ukraine's Commander

EU lawmakers provisionally agreed on new safeguards for EU steelmakers with key provisions in place to ensure the eventual phase-out of Russian steel imports and Ukraine's continued access to the EU market in a late-night meeting in Brussels held on April 13. As of July 2026, the EU is expected to limit steel imports to 18.3 million tonnes per year, a 47% reduction on what is currently allowed. This is intended to protect Europe's steel industry from a glut on the world market. Imports made abo

U.S. sanctions on Russian oil have resumed after the Trump administration allowed a temporary waiver on certain sales to expire on April 11, the Kyiv Independent has learned, ending a short-lived effort to stabilize markets during Washington's war against Iran. The waiver, introduced in March, came as the U.S. sought to increase available supply after the war rattled energy markets. The decision has drawn bipartisan criticism in Washington, particularly as Russia has supported Iran in the war

Russia has warned that European support for Ukraine's drone capabilities could lead to "unpredictable consequences," accusing several countries of becoming part of Kyiv's "strategic rear," the Russian Defense Ministry said on April 15.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said earlier this week she would reiterate her country's support for Ukraine amid Russian aggression.

Igor Bagnyuk, a lieutenant colonel in the Russian army, is not a household name. His work, at the vapidly named Main Computation Center of the General Staff, does not involve pulling triggers or torturing prisoners, only programming the flight paths of cruise missiles that, hours later, strike hospitals, schools, or apartment blocks in Ukraine. By all accounts, Bagnyuk is good at his job. Russia's president has awarded him a medal. As children across Europe and America spent Easter Monday hun

WASHINGTON — Ukraine collected $500 million more revenue than expected in the first three months of this year, the country’s Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said, as Ukraine tries to better line its war coffers and reassure key partners. "Revenue mobilization is strong," Marchenko said at the U.S.-Ukraine Partnership Forum hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on April 15 in Washington D.C., where he spoke on a panel on financing Ukraine’s recovery. Big donors to Ukraine, including the Inte

Russia agreed to pay damages for the downing of the Azerbaijani airliner in 2024 that killed 38 people, according to a joint statement by the two countries on April 15.

Editor's note: The names of the people who recently left Russian-occupied Oleshky have been changed for security reasons. For nearly three months, Ukrainians in the Russian-occupied front-line city of Oleshky in Kherson Oblast have faced dire humanitarian conditions, with almost no safe route for evacuation or food deliveries, as Russian troops mined access roads and made it dangerous to enter or leave the city, according to residents, volunteers working in Kherson Oblast, and Ukrainian officia

"With the goal of lowering the enemy's advance capabilities, we are maintaining a high strike intensity on military, defense industry, and other facilities on Russian territory that sustain the occupier's activities," Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi wrote.

The U.K. Defense Ministry publicized its commitment to its "biggest ever drone package for Ukraine" in an April 15 statement.

The Kyiv Independent’s Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with Artem Kariakin, a Ukrainian from Luhansk Oblast who spent eight years living under Russian occupation and covertly resisting it before escaping and joining the Ukrainian military.

Explosions were reported in Kazan, Tatarstan, around 7 p.m. local time on April 14, while a similar incident occurred near Samara the following day at around 1 p.m. local time.

The U.S. official indicated that the details and dates have not yet been confirmed.

The Russian bulk carrier Abinsk reportedly docked in Haifa carrying nearly 44,000 tons of wheat that Ukrainian investigators say was taken from occupied territories.

The news agency cited data provided by Ctrl-Alt-Intel, a group of British and U.S. cyber threat researchers.

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a petrochemical plant in Sterlitamak in Russia's Bashkortostan Republic on April 15, independent Russian Telegram channel Astra said.

"The situation is in such a deficit, it could not be any worse," Volodymyr Zelensky said, adding that the war in the Middle East is negatively affecting Ukraine and reducing its chances of receiving military aid.

Trump previously endorsed Orban, with Vice President JD Vance visiting Budapest last week to boost the Hungarian leader's campaign.

Russian forces launched 324 drones and three Iskander-M ballistic missiles into Ukraine overnight, the Air Force said.

"One of the things I'm proudest that we've done in this administration is we've told Europe that if you want to buy weapons, you can, but the United States is not buying weapons and sending them to Ukraine anymore," Vance said.

The number includes 1,010 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.

As of 1:56 p.m., Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Oleksandr Hanzha said that 21 people had been hospitalized, including 10 in serious condition.

At least one child has been killed and another nine people injured in a Russian drone attack on Cherkasy on the evening of April 14, officials reported.

Iceland and Poland have agreed to support the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said April 14.

Norway and Ukraine signed a defense declaration on April 14 in Oslo aimed at deepening military cooperation, including joint drone production.

Key developments on April 14: * Russian missile strike on Dnipro kills 5, injures 27 * Russia targets critical dam in Kharkiv Oblast with glide bombs, governor says * 29 Russian soldiers killed during pipeline infiltration attempt in Sumy Oblast, Ukrainian brigade says * Germany, Ukraine elevate ties to strategic partnership with new defense deal A Russian missile strike on the city of Dnipro on April 14 killed five people and injured at least 27 others, local authorities reported. An exp

The International Monetary Fund slashed Ukraine's growth forecasts but raised Russia's on April 14.

Ukraine has opened its first food processing and distribution center in Ghana, as Kyiv seeks to expand its agricultural exports and address the region's food crisis.

The Pechenihy reservoir plays a major role in supplying water to Kharkiv and surrounding settlements.

"Now, more than ever before, we want to learn from one another," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

The group tried to exploit poor weather conditions and limited visibility to breach Ukrainian defenses.